Where we eat: Tampa's Taco Bus, Pizzas, Das Racist and Wallpaper

Yesterday I visited one of Tampa's finest late night food excursions, the Taco Bus. Open until four am, this old school bus turned taco joint shows that late night munchies do not have to be relieved by sub-par vittles. To start off, the manager on duty hooked J-Fur, Heed, and I up with a sample vegetarian creation he had come up with on his own. It was a fresh made tortilla, with cheese, peppers, onions, and cilantro. Not being a big fan of cilantro, I was wary, but tried it anyway. To my delight, it was pretty good. Even better was the tofu burrito I ate. The tofu, according to the manager, is sliced thinly and then basted in a smoked sauce. It is then cooked on a grill until carmelized. The result is a smokey flavored tofu that looks (and tastes) like steak.

Speaking of carmelized, my recipe of the week includes carmelized onions, pizza dough, and cheese. Not quite pizza, we'll call it a tart with pizza characteristics:












Carmelized-Onion Tart with Pizza Characteristics (adapted from Veg Times June 2009)
Printable Version

-olive oil
-2 large onions
-1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
-2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
-1 pizza crust (ready to bake works fine or use your favorite recipe)
-mozzarella cheese
-provolone cheese
-10 kalamata olives sliced and pitted

1. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add onions and saute 5 to 7 minutes until softened. Stir in thyme and black pepper, reduce heat, and cook an additional 15 minutes until onions are brown and carmelized. Add vinegar and cook an additional five minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat pizza pan with spray. Press dough into a ten inch circle on pizza pan. Sprinkle part of the mozzarella and provolone on the dough. Top with onions. Then cover the crust with the rest of the cheese and the olives. Bake until crust is golden (around 20 minutes).

Break out the pizza cutter and slice it however you desire. You won't be disappointed.

Hmm...pizza and tacos, tacos and pizza. Where to go with this post now? Only one place: Das Racist and Wallpaper's Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. In no way am I condoning these corporations (let's face it, their food isn't good) but I am condoning this song.